Steve's Story

My name is Steve and I am an alcoholic, drug addict. I became homeless because of it, but there's more to my story.

My chiropractic practice was rated third in the state per population and making me a mid six-figure income. I had to have two of everything - two motor homes, two boats. But when I needed a titanium wrist replacement, I lost the use of my hands. That was my manhood. Soon afterwards, the stock market tanked, the real estate market tanked, I went through a nasty divorce and I didn't know how to handle it. As a result, I sat on the couch at home drinking two fifths of vodka a day.

During this time, my wife told me that I would have patients scheduled for treatment and by the time I showed up at the office in the morning I would be too drunk to see my patients. The demons that possessed me doing all of this became more and more apparent. The lawn didn't get mowed, the trees didn't get trimmed, and weeds were growing up.

I'd become such a wretch that she had some friends take me up to Grand Rapids. They took me to Mel Trotter Ministries, slowed the car down, rolled me out of the car and drove off. I laid there in front of Mel Trotter and then some of the security people carried me in and prayed for me.

I was talking with a friend at Mel Trotter and he said to me, "You know you might have been wealthy, you might have all these degrees, you might be the smartest person in the world, but you know what your best thinking got you living in a mission and you don't know squat." After hearing that I stopped in my tracks and thought to myself, "He's absolutely right."

At that time, I decided to learn and place myself under the counselors there at Mel Trotter and I learned how to live life biblically. The nursing staff healed me – they physically healed me. The chapels were enriching. Everyone had one goal in mind and that was to raise up, encourage and show the love of Christ to all those there. The counselors and the staff eat with the people in the program so you're fellowshipping and breaking bread in an informal way, yet you're learning. Mel Trotter was a life-giving.

Madison Square Church, Pastor Beelen and the elders there supported me to go to seminary by providing me recommendations and help with classes. Two weeks before I graduated from seminary I got the call from Sacred Heart for a position. Within a month of graduating I was working in peer recovery.

My relationship with my wife and kids have all been restored. In the past, I would see other men pulling out their wallets and show pictures of their kids. I thought that moment would never come to me. But now we have pictures of our family that I can brag about. I can do this now thanks to Jesus Christ and Mel Trotter Ministries.

If not for the donors at Mel Trotter, this family and many more would not exist. Their money and their donations are going into the mission and they're changing lives and ending homelessness. Without Mel Trotter there would be an empty hole in Grand Rapids.